Ep. 4: Meet Changemakers Chloe & Lainey

January 31st, 2026

Hey everyone! My name is Julia Lee, and welcome back to Cleft Conversations. I’m the President of Youth for Global Smiles.

Hi everyone, my name is Noelle Lee, and I’m the Treasurer for Youth for Global Smiles. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us today! We really appreciate it.

Today, we’re joined by Chloe and Lainey, the founders of Bring Smiles Despite Miles.

Could you give us a quick introduction of who you are and what Bring Smiles Despite Miles does?
Hello everyone! My name is Chloe, and this is Lainey. We are both Smile Train Youth Ambassadors and the co-founders of Bring Smiles Despite Miles. We’re also business administration students. Bring Smiles Despite Miles is our campaign to support children affected by cleft conditions, and we partner with Smile Train to do this work.

Chloe, you were born with a cleft. When did you first realize you wanted to give back to the cleft community in this way?
I honestly can’t pinpoint an exact moment. Even when I was very young, I already had the thought that one day, when I was older and able to, I wanted to give back to the cleft community. I kept reminding myself that I wanted to support children affected by cleft, just like how donors helped me receive my surgeries and care. So I would say I’ve always wanted to do this for a very long time.

Lainey, although you don’t have a cleft yourself, what made this cause personal for you?
Before this, I had done some volunteering and thought about starting campaigns, but they were mostly just ideas and plans — I hadn’t really taken action. When I met Chloe and heard her story, she inspired me so much. I felt like this was a chance to spread positivity, spread more smiles, and support others. Understanding her journey motivated me to join this cause and be part of it.

How did Bring Smiles Despite Miles start, and what was the first spark that made you take this idea into action?
It honestly felt like destiny. It all started with Chloe and her lived experience. We were studying in the same class, and one day she came up to me and asked if I wanted to do this with her. At first, I didn’t think it would become something big — I just joined, and that’s how it started.

For me, it started with my own journey. I was hesitant at first because I kept thinking I needed to plan everything perfectly before starting. But I realized that if I kept delaying, I wouldn’t be able to help children affected by cleft. So I just started. I asked Lainey to join me, and she really pushed me forward. She was like, “Let’s just do it, we’ll figure it out along the way.” And that’s exactly what we did.

Could you share a story from the cleft community that really changed how you think about this cause?
There’s one story that really stayed with me. I was scrolling on social media and came across a video of a 10-year-old Vietnamese boy who was born with a cleft. He shared that his parents had left him, his family didn’t have enough money for surgeries, and his friends bullied him. He spoke with a nasal voice and unclear pronunciation, but what affected me most was his expression. His face carried so much emptiness, solitude, and longing. That moment really pushed me to continue supporting this cause.

Beyond fundraising, what impact do you hope to have on the cleft community?
Fundraising is definitely our main focus, but beyond that, we really want to raise awareness. We want to reach people outside our community, especially young people, so they can learn more about cleft conditions. We also try to create positive and welcoming content on our Instagram so people can feel our energy when they visit our page. We share educational posts as well, so spreading awareness is a big part of what we do.

What’s been the hardest part about running this organization as students?
At the beginning, it was really challenging because we had no experience with fundraising. One of the hardest parts was getting approval and permission to display our Smile Wall project at school. We wanted to use it to raise awareness about cleft conditions for people who weren’t familiar with them. It took time, but we eventually made it happen, and it became a very meaningful experience.

What’s something you didn’t expect to learn from running Bring Smiles Despite Miles?
For me, since I didn’t have prior experience with the cleft community like Chloe did, I came into this with no expectations. I thought it would just be about fundraising, but what surprised me most was the overwhelming love and support we received — both online and offline, especially from the cleft community. It showed me that love and kindness are always around us.

What’s next for Bring Smiles Despite Miles?
Right now, we’re continuing what we’re doing — but doing it better. Fundraising will remain our main focus, but we also want to explore new ideas and improve our educational content so more people can learn about cleft conditions. Our long-term goals may take several years, but we want to continue expanding and finding new ways to support more children affected by cleft.

For students who want to help the cleft community, what’s the first step they can take?
I would say just start by getting involved in any way you can — whether that’s volunteering, starting a fundraiser, or creating educational content like we did. Do something you’re comfortable with and take the first step. You’ll figure things out along the way, just like we did.

Thank you both so much for joining us today. We learned so much from you, and we’re sure you’ll continue inspiring others.